The game also excels in the audio department. Having the show’s voice cast really helps the game out, and the music includes orchestral numbers reminiscent of the show’s many musical interludes. However, the sound effects for the enemies and environments are literally lifted directly from the show. While this is somewhat cool in the beginning, it gets incredibly boring and repetitive very quickly. In addition, the sound quality from these copy/pasted clips is nowhere near as good as the quality of the voices recorded specifically for the game. It gives the game a bit of a sloppy feel that just rubs me the wrong way.

The game features both co-op and competitive multiplayer, but both of these feel like an afterthought. In co-op, one of you controls Brian and the other controls Stewie, but the game really doesn’t change more than that. Competitive multiplayer offers Family Guy variations on classic shooter modes like Death Match, Capture the Flag, and Horde Mode, but in offline mode only. In fact, there isn’t any online component to this game at all, which is an absolutely criminal offense in this day and age.

However, you can ignore everything that I have said in the past few paragraphs because it’s impossible to get past one simple fact: The game just isn’t funny. Even if you remove gameplay from the equation, the story amounts to a below-average episode of the show at very best. By passing this game up, even diehard Family Guy fans aren’t missing anything other than a few “Meg is ugly” jokes and a pirate remix of the knee-holding gag.

If you absolutely must experience everything with the Family Guy logo on it, rent the game with a couple buddies and play through the incredibly short single-player campaign in a few hours over some beers. Otherwise, I’d suggest purchasing a Family Guy DVD box set over this game for your Family Guy-obsessed friend or loved one this holiday season.

ByAngelo M. D’Argenio
Lead Contributor
Date: November 28, 2012

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.0

GraphicsThe graphics are probably the best part of the game, but they still miss the mark in terms of lip timing and facial expressions.